Currently, when there is an interruption in the power supply to a vehicle or a device connected to the vehicle, many of the on-board devices of the vehicle or the circuitry in the device connected to the vehicle can be affected. This is especially important with regard to logic circuits or other memory type devices on a communication device that require an uninterrupted power supply in order to maintain either the data in the memory, the settings in the system, or power to accommodate communication between a computing device connected to the vehicle.
For example, when the primary power supply is reduced or shutoff, the settings and data in a memory can be lost, especially if it is a random access memory, which needs a constant power supply to maintain the settings and data. Therefore, when such an incident occurs, the memory unit loses all the information and the data has to be re-entered and the settings for the vehicle, or other information in the communication device, have to be reset.
Circuitry within a communication device accommodating connection between a diagnostic tool or a personal computer connected to a vehicle or the circuitry within the vehicle that draws power from the main power is then reliant on the main power. A backup power system can be added to a device, however, this then increases the cost and then there is a problem with the size and replacement of the backup power and the time it takes to charge the backup power. Further, if the device or circuits that needs the backup power is small, then it is difficult to provide such a backup power within the housing of the device or circuits.
Further, there is the issue of maintaining the proper power supply to the circuits and logic circuits as the power supply must be maintained at a certain level so that the logic circuits are not damaged. It is critical that the supply does not vary much from the parameters of the circuits, because the logic circuits are very sensitive to the power that is provided.
Interruption of the power supply can be catastrophic as there can be loss of data and even the malfunctioning of an electrical device, because the power has been interrupted, even if it is for a short period of time. As mentioned above, the loss of power can reset the device, which may cause problems if certain customized settings were used. Specifically, there can be major data loss, including data collected over a long period of time or a short period of time in random access memory, which can cause major delays and problems in rectifying the situation,
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an electrical energy storage unit and charger as a secondary power to a device to minimize the power interruption.